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The Trackman Baseball Portable B1 unit

To play like the pros, start practicing like them.

For baseball athletes, efficiency is key — on game day and in practice alike. Efficient practice requires understanding not just what happened, but why it happened. This is where technology like Trackman comes in.

Trackman is a tracking technology that originated in the golf world before evolving into the renowned system now used by every organization in MLB. It empowers athletes to chase precision, identify specific areas for growth, and approach every practice with purpose.

The Trackman Portable B1 Unit was built for players and organizations who care about the details and know that minor tweaks lead to major results.

What is the Trackman Portable B1 unit?

Trackman Baseball Four men in athletic wear and baseball caps stand together on a baseball field, looking at a tablet.

The B1 is a portable unit that brings the power of advanced tracking technology to practice sessions.

At its core, the B1 uses Trackman's patented Optically Enhanced Radar Tracking (OERT) technology. This involves dual radar systems synchronized in time and space: a short-range, ultra-high-resolution system and a long-range, high-accuracy ball tracking system. It also incorporates radar-synchronized high-speed optics as camera sensors.


Together, this technology provides superior tracking of the entire ball trajectory and spin, reliably and accurately capturing all pitches and hits. All packed into a portable design that is easy to set up and ready to go within minutes.

How to improve pitching and batting using data

The B1 unit captures a wealth of data parameters in three separate modes:

  1. Pitch-only

  2. Hit-only

  3. Live-at-bat

For pitchers: Pitch-only mode

Pitchers use Trackman numbers for a wide range of practice purposes – from refining mechanics and pitch design to velocity training and bullpen sessions. Every tweak and adjustment can now be backed by the highest level of data insights.

Trackman Baseball pitch analysis screen showing pitch speed, spin rate, and movement data, alongside a black-and-white image of a hand holding a baseball.

The basic pitching metrics

For a rough idea, here are just a few of the metrics tracked by the B1 unit. These are the bare essentials, while coaches and organizations use the full suite of data parameters to extract every detail from every pitch.


Release

  • Release Speed
    Speed of the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, reported in miles per hour or meters per second.

  • Release Height
    Vertical distance of the ball above home plate when the pitcher releases the ball, reported in feet or meters.

  • Release Side
    Distance from the y-axis from which the pitcher releases the ball, reported in feet or meters.

  • Spin Rate
    Speed at which the ball is spinning, reported in revolutions per minute (RPM).

  • Extension
    Distance towards home plate from which the pitcher releases the ball relative to the pitching rubber, reported in feet or meters.

Flight

  • Induced Vertical Break
    Distance between the height at which the ball crosses home plate and the height at which it would have crossed if it traveled in a straight line from release and were affected by gravity, reported in inches or centimeters.
    Note: If this number is positive, the ball broke “upwards” or, in reality, dropped less than it would have due to gravity alone – it does not necessarily mean that the ball actually rose.

  • Horizontal Break
    Horizontal distance between where the ball crosses home plate and where it would have crossed if it had traveled in a straight line from release and were unaffected by gravity, reported in inches or centimeters.

Strike Zone

  • Plate Location Height
    The height of the ball relative to home plate as it crosses the front of the plate, reported in feet or meters.

  • Plate Location Side
    Distance from the y-axis to the ball as it crosses the front of home plate, reported in feet or meters.

The software integrates high-speed video and supports external cameras, allowing pitchers and coaches to analyze data and video side by side for every pitch. This interface enables players to visually connect mechanics, trajectory and movement patterns, ultimately training the mind-body awareness essential on the mound.

For hitters: hit-only mode

Trackman provides real-time feedback on key batting metrics. It automatically categorizes the projected on-field result of each swing, while the software condenses data into actionable insights. All to help athletes understand what’s working and what needs adjustment.

A person swings a baseball bat in an indoor Trackman facility, with data on swing speed and ball trajectory displayed on a screen.

The basic batting metrics

Here are some of the foundational metrics the B1 tracks for hitters:


Launch

  • Exit Speed
    Speed of the ball the moment it comes off the bat, reported in miles per hour or meters per second.

  • Launch Angle
    The vertical angle formed by the intersection of the y-axis and the ball’s path (in the z-direction) as it leaves the bat.

  • Launch Direction
    The horizontal angle formed by the intersection of the y-axis and the ball’s path (in the x-direction) as it leaves the bat.

  • Contact Position (X,Y,Z)
    The position at which the ball was contacted by the bat.

Flight

  • Max Height
    The apex of the trajectory of a batted ball, reported in feet or meters.

Landing

  • Distance
    The estimated “carry flat” distance, measured in feet or meters.

  • Bearing
    The horizontal angle formed by the intersection of the y-axis and a straight line drawn from the plate to the landing spot of the ball.

Hitters can review their swings from multiple perspectives, including 3D models, batter’s point of view, and spray charts. Combined with automated video recordings, hitters and coaches can clearly see how swing mechanics correlate with performance data.

Live at-bat mode

Dual-tracking capability provides a crucial practice-play experience that closely simulates game situations. In this mode, the B1 unit collects and displays pitching and hitting data simultaneously, allowing athletes to train and test skills that they have been working on in the realistic and competitive live-at-bat environment.

Trackman Baseball live-at-bat analysis screen showing speed, spin, and movement data, with a video of a batter and catcher on a field.

All the data. All in your hands.

Everything recorded on the B1 unit syncs to two digital platforms: first the Trackman Baseball App and later, the Trackman Portal. This accessibility means you can access your stats anytime, anywhere.

The iPad-compatible Trackman Baseball App provides the handheld, all-in-one platform during your session. The customizable dashboard displays pitch-by-pitch feedback in real time, providing 3D visualizations, video recordings and analysis tools.

The Trackman Portal serves as a hub for past sessions, storing comprehensive pitching and batting data reports generated with the app. It also functions as a roster and player management system for coaches and staff.


Ready to practice smarter?

The Trackman Portable B1 Unit is the epitome of training smarter, not harder. Whether you're refining your mechanics, designing your next pitch, or dialing in your swing, the B1 gives you the data to understand the why behind the what. It’s not just your stats — it’s a roadmap to your next breakthrough.

Read more here or contact our sales team to get started today.